With the team bus waiting, veteran receiver Rod Smith was too peeved to put his angst into words, declaring: "Got nothing to talk about. You saw the game."

We've all seen this performance by the Bron-cos too many times. A bad bounce here, a dumb turnover there, no luck anywhere. "Kind of the story of the year," Denver safety Kenoy Kennedy said.

Looking for a fresh edge, Shanahan traded for cornerback Champ Bailey, trying to show the NFL his genius also applies to defense. But the results of this bold experiment prove only that the Broncos are not significantly closer to being serious championship contenders than in any season since John Elway retired.

And so it goes. The story grows older every year.

"At the outset, it takes you a few years to get things in place as a coach. Then, if you have the good fortune to be able to stay there for some considerable length of time, it gets easier. But the minute you start getting into year nine and year 10, it becomes more difficult, because you keep trying to find different ways to get your message across," said Schottenheimer, who has won 174 regular-season games as head coach of four NFL franchises. "But try as you might, and I'm an English major, when you get so far down the road, it's pretty hard to find a new way to convey the message."

With a 9-3 record, the Chargers own a two-game lead in the AFC West. Win the division, and San Diego would be the fourth team to be best in the West since 1999. The other recent champions are Oakland, Kansas City and Seattle, which has moved out of the division.

Denver has been just another NFL franchise for longer than Broncomaniacs would like to admit.

Schottenheimer walked away from the Chiefs after 10 years. "I had a great run in Kansas City and could have stayed there," he said. "But I just felt it was time to give somebody else a chance."

Without a doubt, Shanahan has earned the right to determine when and how he wants to leave the Bron-cos.

Respect, however, has ceased to be the issue. How satisfying can sneaking in the back door of the NFL playoffs be for Shanahan? The pain of one loss bleeds into the next defeat, until a coach goes numb.

"It will hurt for a while, and we'll see what we can do," said Shanahan, a monotone voice carefully dispensed from a poker face. "You don't know what's going to happen down the road. You can take it a game at a time, and figure it out at the end."

As a man obsessed with control, Shanahan understandably hates unfounded rumors and idle speculation about his future. So we offer this as nothing more than a suggestion for a coach who has gone stale:

Notre Dame needs to start acting like an elite football program that's willing to pay the price for success. Shanahan could use a new challenge and gratification that money can't buy.

While it is conceivable he can discover another 1,000-yard rusher, develop a quarterback who is truly a worthy heir to Elway and maybe lead the Bron-cos back to the Super Bowl one of these years, the odds are that Shanahan's remaining time in Denver ultimately will end in disappointment.

There is absolutely nothing left for Shanahan to say that the Bron-cos have not already heard.

Kiszla always has something to bitch about, but this article actually didn't have the sting I expected.

In the back of my mind, I have been preparing myself for a Shanahan departure. I am not totally thrilled by that, but it's been a good run. Every time I hear about opening up in South Bend, I think of Shanahan's name.

I'd love for Shanahan to stay, simply b/c I can't think of another coach or assistant that I'd be interested in right now and I know I'm not interested in bringing in a brand new scheme and totally reshuffling the team.

I want to thank Teej for dropping in on a thread about an author he doesnt read and hasnt read for 5 years to post, not once, but twice about how he doesnt care...Nice Work!

Anyway, back to the subject at hand...

As Ive allways said, his success had everything to do with Elway.

Nah, they just can't cheat anymore.

Actually, the team during those years was filled with guys hungry for a title... Elway, Sharpe, Neil Smith, Rod Smith, Easy Ed, Atwater, Braxton and the list goes on. Sure, having Elway - TD - Sharpe on your team never hurts to inflate your greatness, but I would still take Shanahan over most coaches on Sunday.

There are possibly 4 coaches that I would hedge on over Shanahan, but looking at his peers, guys like Cowher and Fisher that have been with their teams longer, I'm glad we've had Shanahan for a decade.

That's fine...you take Shanahan and I'll take Elway and we'd see who would get there first. I really like my chances.

I'll never understand the insistence to downplay Elway's impact on that club for 2 decades.

I never understand why my comments are always viewed as downplaying the greatness of Elway. Elway *almost* single handedly took them to the SB on his own 3 times and they were all horrible losses.

Was it all Reeves? Was it the fact they never had a true ground game or a really good defense? All I know is that Shanahan came in, brought in a bunch of guys that were hungry via free agency (Romo, Ed, Neil Smith, Schlereth and numerous others) ... put in a solid system built around Elway & Sharpe, featuring Davis and they won 2 titles.

I don't know why that view is considered downplaying Elway's greatness.